Dynamic DNS (basic questions)

esuhl
esuhl Posts: 9,409 Forumite
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in Techie Stuff
I have a friend with a domestic CCTV system. He's just changed ISP and got a new router and asked for help as he couldn't access any cameras.

I got everything working over the LAN, but he can't access the cameras over the internet.

It seems he was using some kind of Samsung DDNS service previously (he has the details). I looked in the router settings, but there are only three DDNS providers you can select -- none of them Samsung, and they only appear to offer paid services. My friend reckons the Samsung DDNS service was free.

The host name he has is something.websamsung.net (Where "something" is an alphanumeric string.)

The only service providers listed in the router settings are:
https://www.DynDNS.org
https://www.noip.com
https://www.dyns.cx

I've never used DDNS before, so I'm not really sure how to set it up.

Can anyone help?
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Comments

  • AndyPix
    AndyPix Posts: 4,847 Forumite
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    edited 19 March 2017 at 11:45PM
    Hi,
    So I'm presuming you have a port forwarded on the router to the cctv and can access the cameras offsitse by using h t t p : / / public ip : port ??


    I typed a big explanation of it all then but deleted it by mistake grrr.
    Can you just let me know , have you got that ^^ bit working ??


    Basically, something inside your network has to phone home occasionally to the ddns service to tell it your current public ip address. That way, your url always stays pointing at the correct place.
    Even when your public ip address changes (as home ones do from time to time) ...


    So it sounds like your router has the capability to do this, which is nice . But not for you as it doesn't support the Samsung version.
    IIRC, the Samsung devices themselves will actually do this, and it should happen automatically, if they have a connection to the outside world.


    Which makes the question above doubly important ..


    So have you set up the port forward ?
  • I_have_spoken
    I_have_spoken Posts: 5,051 Forumite
    edited 19 March 2017 at 11:50PM
    He could ask his ISP for a static IP address.

    But AFAIK the basic no-ip service is free.

    >I'm not really sure how to set it up.<
    1. Register an account with a DDNS provider from a PC
    2. Input the username/password details into the router, together with your chosen DNS name from the DDNS provider
    3. Setup port-forwarding on the router to the machine providing CCTV
    4. Input the DNS name into the s/w you want to use for remote access
    • AndyPix
      AndyPix Posts: 4,847 Forumite
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      Yeah he could use another service like no-ip . But that would rely on always having a computer switched on in the house, to do the updating ..


      For normal PC use that service is great, because obviously your pc will always be on when the service is needed .. But with cctv systems not so much.
      Which I guess is why Samsung provide this service
    • esuhl
      esuhl Posts: 9,409 Forumite
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      AndyPix wrote: »
      Hi,
      So I'm presuming you have a port forwarded on the router to the cctv and can access the cameras offsitse by using h t t p : / / public ip : port ??

      Hmmm... It seems not. :-/

      I forwarded the four ports I was given to the (static) local IP address of the CCTV hub (and put the CCTV hub on the same subnet), which fixed local access.

      I just enabled ping responses on the router, and it responds. But I can't access anything with the IP & port number(s) via a web browser. :-/
      AndyPix wrote: »
      I typed a big explanation of it all then but deleted it by mistake grrr.
      Can you just let me know , have you got that ^^ bit working ??

      Argh! That happened to me yesterday! I feel your pain! Really appreciate you taking the time to reply again. :)
    • AndyPix
      AndyPix Posts: 4,847 Forumite
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      So something is wrong with your port forward ..
      Have you opened it for both directions, and all protocols.
      Sometimes you have to do a rule for each protocol
    • kwikbreaks
      kwikbreaks Posts: 9,187 Forumite
      edited 20 March 2017 at 12:18AM
      Why 4 ports? Most CCTV only uses one or at most two for an alternate stream.

      External IPs don't usually change that frequently so you want to make sure that the ip fixing and port forwarding are correct before worrying about DDNS. Incidentally some cameras support DDNS themselves so worth checking there.

      Lastly don't rely on a router to work correctly on loopback as not all do - ie accessing myddns.org:8080 from within the network that ddns is pointing to may not work. Use a phone to check external access.
    • esuhl
      esuhl Posts: 9,409 Forumite
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      I just tried accessing over the LAN using the local IP. One of the ports brings up a login page for the CCTV.

      But it just times out when accessing over the internet.
    • esuhl
      esuhl Posts: 9,409 Forumite
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      AndyPix wrote: »
      So something is wrong with your port forward ..
      Have you opened it for both directions, and all protocols.
      Sometimes you have to do a rule for each protocol

      The outgoing rules are set to allow everything.

      The incoming rules allow both UDP and TCP on the ports I've been given.

      I wonder if there's some way I can log in to the CCTV hub to check the ports and settings...? (I don't know any more about CCTV than I do about DDNS :o)
    • AndyPix
      AndyPix Posts: 4,847 Forumite
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      Good point kiwi ,


      Eshul, you aren't testing this from within the network are you ? That'll never work


      Teather your phone and try it
    • kwikbreaks
      kwikbreaks Posts: 9,187 Forumite
      That's going to be incorrect port forwarding (usually only TCP is needed although setting both won't mess anything up) or the loopback issue I mentioned. Try it from a phone not connected to the local WiFi. Of course it could also be you aren't using the correct external IP.
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